Stay the Night
by D.C. Renegade
Summary: A short little something about two heartbroken lovers that find comfort in each others arms for the night. It's not a pairing, exactly, but it's Naruto and Ino. A little different but I like the idea. Rated T just in light of the subject. May make a sequel with different or same characters depending on reception.
1. Stay the Night

*This story takes place in the late Itachi Pursuit Arc at the same time Jiraiya is infiltrating Amegakure.

"Hey, you still with us, Naruto?"

Naruto snapped back to reality, on the dirt path through the forest that led back to Konoha at the sound of Sakura's voice. "What? Yeah!" he replied, "sorry, guess I'm just getting tired, y'know?" He scratched the back of his head anxiously and grinned.

"That doesn't surprise me, the way you chased down the bandit leader." Sakura said. "He never stood a chance!"

"It's just like you to take it upon yourself to go after the main target alone," Sai commented.

"Yeah, I guess so," Naruto said, sounding disinterested.

Sakura's expression grew troubled. "What's up? You're acting weird, Naruto."

"It's nothing! Like I said, I'm tired!" he lied, grinning as widely as possible.

The truth was, for once, he felt overwhelmed by it all. He couldn't name every little thing that contributed to his state, but primary candidates were Sasuke and Sakura. Sure, nothing had changed much since the pursuit of Itachi, but Naruto felt the pressures getting to him. He had long ago accepted that Sakura may never have feelings for him, but still it hurt sometimes. Usually he covered it up well enough and only moped when he was out of sight, but that coupled with the stress of the Sasuke situation was getting to him. Not even he could keep up this façade forever, but he would try.

"Here we are!" Yamato said as they approached the gates to Konohagakure. "It's good to be home, huh, team?"

"I could use a soak in the hot springs!" Sakura said, "after a mission like that, some rest sounds good."

"I have a drawing I've been meaning to finish, so I'll do that." Sai stated.

"How about you, Naruto?" Sakura asked him. "Before I hit the hot springs, how about you pay for ramen?"

Naruto sincerely grinned this time. "Sure thing, Sakura-chan!" he answered.

"I have a report to deliver, see you next time, guys!" Yamato said and vanished.

After parting ways with Sai and Yamato, Naruto and Sakura made their way to Ichiraku. Naruto could smell the familiar scents of the place, and swelled up with excitement knowing he would be eating here with Sakura.

The two of them stepped into the building and sat down at the bar. Teuchi greeted them with a smile and took their orders. They sat and talked about the mission for a while, waiting for their ramen and shared a few laughs. Naruto couldn't stop thinking about how great it was to be sitting there with Sakura. He wanted the moment to last forever. Even if they were only friends, it just felt so pure and comfortable, like the two of them just connected so naturally. But of course, the moment didn't last as long as it would have, had Naruto had his way. Before long he was walking her to the bath house.

"Thanks for the meal, Naruto," Sakura said with a smile.

"Any time, Sakura-chan! We should do it more often; I had a lot of fun just talking with you, y'know?" Naruto answered genuinely, his smile irrepressible.

They stood there just outside the bath house for a moment, looking into each other's eyes. What is she thinking? He wondered. If only he could kiss her… hold her. But, thinking about that would only be harder on him so he fought his imagination. Still, it wasn't so easy. Then he realized he was holding her hand.

"Sakura-chan, I…" Naruto began, but had no idea what to say. His emotions were not so easily put into shallow words.

Sakura pulled her hand away from his, gently but her point was clear. She still didn't feel the same thing for him that he felt for her. "I'm sorry," she said weakly and turned to run into the bath house. She stopped at the door and looked over her shoulder, and said, "Thank you, Naruto," before stepping inside.

Thank you for what? He asked himself. For the ramen, their friendship, his promise, reminding her why she didn't and would probably never love him? Naruto shook his head and walked down the street as alone as he felt.

He ended up sitting at the swing outside the Ninja Academy, a place he hadn't visited in a long time. Before he knew it, the sky had darkened and the full moon was shining in the sky. Naruto looked up at the moon, both hands resting on the worn rope that tied the swing to the tall, old tree in the academy courtyard. With a heavy sigh, he rose to his feet and began walking. It took him a moment to actually realize he wanted to go the village gates. Not just to them, but beyond them. Where? To train, perhaps. Or maybe he would leave and chase down Sasuke on his own. Right now anything was better than sitting around getting lost in pointless emotions.

As he neared the gate he saw three figures entering through them. Getting closer he realized they were Shikamaru, Chouji, and Ino. No doubt they were returning from a long mission. Naruto almost wanted to hide so he could avoid conversation. Right now he didn't feel much like talking. They had already seen him, however.

"Hey, Naruto, you're up late," Shikamaru said, not looking displeased by the fact.

"You didn't wait up to welcome us home by any chance, did you?" Chouji joked.

"No, I just couldn't sleep." Naruto replied.

Suddenly, Shikamaru's expression got heavier. He took a step toward Naruto, with one foot forward in an aggressive stance. "Where are you going?" he asked, his implication plain.

Naruto didn't want to respond. In fact, he didn't want to be talking at all right now. "I just needed to take a walk, and be alone."

Shikamaru looked somewhat repentant for his aggressive tone. "Is something bothering you, Naruto?"

Naruto hesitated. "I don't want to talk about it, y'know?" he said finally.

Shikamaru looked like he wanted to persist, but clearly saw the futility of it. He stepped closer to Naruto and placed a hand on his shoulder. "If you ever want to talk," he said, "I'm here. Even the strongest of shinobi need to let themselves be vulnerable sometimes. It's not healthy to keep stuff bottled up. I am your friend."

Naruto nodded, and said, "Yeah, I know… Thanks, Shikamaru."

Shikamaru nodded and walked past Naruto. "I still have to report to Hokage-sama. Good night,"

After they left, Naruto sat down at one of the nearby benches along the path to the gates. Of course Shikamaru wanted to help, and Naruto appreciated it, but he couldn't confess what was hurting him. To everyone Naruto was the knucklehead who was always ready to take on anything, and never afraid of anything. Some of them would never admit it (Kiba comes to mind) but his peers were starting to see Naruto as somewhat of a beacon for their generation. Somewhere, Naruto realized this and knew he couldn't let his resolve falter. He was the strong one.

Naruto had no idea how long he remained sitting there, hours at least, but he had no will to move from that spot. Nor did he have much of a reason to leave that spot. The bench was as good a place as any to waste moonlit hours with one's own thoughts. Those thoughts were interrupted by a hand gently touching his shoulder. Naruto was surprised to see Ino standing before him.

"Need some company?" she asked him softly.

Naruto didn't reply. He wasn't sure how to. Ino simply sat down next to him and the two sat in silence for a few passing moments.

"I think I know what's wrong," Ino said, finally.

Naruto looked up at her to show he was listening.

"I can tell," she went on, "I don't know, call it women's intuition, but I can tell why you're hurting: you're alone." Naruto didn't disagree, but still couldn't find words. "Not in the sense that nobody cares about you, or that there's not a living thing around you, but in the way that you need something more than a friend. Not family, but not a friend either." Ino took a breath, and closed her eyes for a moment. When she opened them, she went on, "I know how you feel about Sakura… And I know the feeling isn't exactly mutual. I've been there, you know. You might think all I ever felt for Sasuke was just a schoolgirl crush, and maybe it was at first, but now, when I think about him I feel so… so…" She stuttered, unsure how to go on. It was then that she had to stop because she felt the tears starting to build up.

Naruto just nodded, not sure what to say. Of course he understood how alike the two were feeling right now and somewhere it almost helped subside the pain a little just being with someone who felt the same way. It made it no easier that Sakura held Naruto as just a friend, a close one, but still only a friend. It didn't change the fact that Naruto might never kiss Sakura or hold her intimately, but for some reason, it helped a little.

"Ino…" Naruto finally spoke, his voice weak. It didn't sound like him at all. He put his arm around her and hugged her. It was more than just the comforting hug one would give a friend, but not quite the hug you'd give a lover. It was the hug of two people, two broken hearts who could connect with each other.

"We don't have to be alone," Ino said to him, looking up finally. Her eyes were watery, but she wouldn't let herself cry. "Even if it's just for one night, we're both here… We're both…"

Ino wasn't voicing her thoughts very clearly, but Naruto understood what she was saying. "Ino, tonight…" Naruto began. He held her tighter. "Tonight, let's be together. Even if it's just for one night, it's still… it's still better than all of this."

Ino looked up at him, a single tear breaking through, and she kissed him gently. Naruto made no attempts to pull away, and the two kissed and held each other. After a while they ended up at Naruto's home, were they shared a bed. For the night, they weren't so lonely…

The next morning came shortly afterwards, but the two slept through it. It was the midday sun shining through the windows that they finally awoke to. Naruto, eyes still shut tight, felt Ino stir beside him. For a moment he remained still, recounting the events of last night. It was so dreamlike and hard to believe. It was insane, really, but he didn't regret it.

Ino was already getting dressed when he finally opened his eyes. "Good morning," he said to her.

She turned around, and smiled mischievously. "Good morning," she replied. She leaned over the bed and kissed him on the cheek.

"That's pretty tame, y'know?" Naruto said cheekily.

Ino stuck her tongue out at him and said, half-joking, "I guess we're friends with benefits now, huh?"

Naruto thought that one over. "Yeah, I guess so," he answered, "in that case… you don't have to leave so soon, y'know?"

Ino shook her head with a grin and climbed back into bed.


	2. Chapter 2

Naruto watched Ino as she finished dressing herself early in the morning. "It sucks that you have to leave so early in the morning, y'know?" Naruto told her.

"I know," Ino answered with a playful smile on her face, "I'd love to stay all morning, but my parents would freak out if they found out I sneaked out last night!"

"Yeah, I guess," Naruto said, sounding no less disappointed, "It still sucks."

Ino shook her head, saying, "Oh come on, we were up until 2 in the morning this time, isn't that enough for you?"

"It was for last night, but now it's today, y'know?" Naruto answered.

Ino laughed and leaned in for a quick peck on Naruto's cheek. "I'll see you later, 'kay?"

"Yeah, see ya'," Naruto replied.

Ino darted out the door and Naruto stretched his arms, yawning loudly. He was pretty tired, to tell the truth. It had been just over a week since the start of his... relationship – is that the right word?—with Ino. The two had seen each other four and a half times over the course of that week. The half being when Sai had burst through the door just before the two had gotten started. Naruto was lucky Sai was so oblivious to what he had walked in on; otherwise it would have been twice as awkward.

It wasn't any kind of relationship Naruto had ever expected, especially with Ino, but it was nice for the two to have each other to take their minds off of more stressful, serious things. On top of that, the experience was no less than fantastic. Naruto was honestly glad that he and Ino had spoken that night, because now he found it easier to keep his mind off of Sakura and Sasuke. On top of that he was having some pretty great nights. He felt on top of the world… but then again, Ino was usually the one on top.

Naruto got out of bed drearily and got dressed. Unlike Ino, Naruto was in no hurry. Pulling each article of clothing on in a half-conscious daze, he decided to go for a walk to wake up.

The streets of the village were still pretty empty, and the sun still hadn't come over the horizon yet. It was peaceful so he almost jumped when someone suddenly said, "Good morning, Naruto."

He peaked over his shoulder to see Kiba and Akamaru travelling towards him. "You smell awful!" Kiba said, "Like sweat! Don't you bathe?"

Come to think of it… he hadn't bathed since yesterday and he did work up a sweat from around 11 pm to 2 am.

"And also…" Kiba's nose twitched as he tried to discern another scent.

"Hey, it's a little creepy the way you keep smelling me, y'know?" Naruto pointed out.

Kiba's eyes got wider. "I smell Ino on you too!" he said. Akamaru barked in agreement. "What have you two been up to?" he asked, a grin spreading over his face.

"It's not what you think!" Naruto lied, "We were just training together last night! That's all!"

"Yeah, right, you can't fool me," Kiba said, "I just can't believe she'd touch you."

Naruto gritted his teeth, replying, "The hell's that supposed to mean? I'm sure any girl would pick me over you! They'd probably be scared you'd have Akamaru join in, y'know?"

"Hey! You take that back, runt!" Kiba snarled.

Naruto scoffed, "Or what, you'll have your mutt pee on me?"

"That's a good idea," Kiba answered, "but I was just gonna kick your ass up and down the street!" By this point Akamaru had already started barking, and it was a deafening bark to say the least.

"Okay, that's it, Dog-breath-"

"Hey, would you two keep quiet? Half of the village is still asleep!"

Coming their way now was the Hokage herself: Tsunade.

"Maybe I should tell Godaime-sama what's going on," Kiba said with a victorious smirk on his face.

"Shut it, Kiba!"

"Tell me what?" Tsunade asked.

"It's nothing, Baa-chan! Just go sip some tea or something, y'know?" Naruto lied.

"Naruto here has been fooling around with a certain kunoichi," Kiba said.

Tsunade sighed. "This is really none of my business," she said, "I'm sure Sakura has seen to it that you two are safe, hasn't she?"

"It's not Sakura, Godaime-sama-"

"-Kiba!-"

"It's Ino."

Tsunade shook her head and raised her hand up to Kiba's face. "Nobody likes a tattle-tale, Kiba," she said as she flicked him, hurling him down the street. Akamaru went scampering after his master. "Naruto, is this true?"

"Hell no! I dunno where he comes up with-"

"Naruto!"

The boy sighed and answered, "Yes."

The Hokage sighed and rubbed her forehead. "What are we going to do with you?" she wondered aloud. "You're definitely that old lech's student. I thought you had feelings for Sakura."

"I do…" Naruto answered softly, "but she doesn't feel the same way, so I have to cope somehow."

"Come on, we need to talk, Kid." Tsunade said, gesturing for him to follow her.

Tsunade led the boy back to the Hokage's Residence, where the two took seats in her private quarters.

"Naruto, I'm not your mother so I have little place telling you what to do in this situation, but I don't like what you're doing," Tsunade said.

Naruto scowled, and said nothing.

"You ought to know better than this," Tsunade went on, "it's natural to have certain… desires-"

"No!" Naruto stopped her, shaking his head violently, "No, no, no, no, no, no, no, NOO! We're not about to have this talk! The one good thing about not having parents is I got to skip out on this awkward crap, y'know?"

He immediately stopped when he saw the glare in Tsunade's eyes. "Naruto, this is irresponsible and immature! This kind of intimacy should only be between people who love each other." She said to him.

"Look, Baa-chan, I get that you're trying to look out for me, or whatever, but this is my thing, alright?" Naruto replied. "You have no idea how hard it is to… to love someone when they don't feel the same way." The boy looked away quickly, trying to hide his vulnerability, but it was too late. Tsunade examined him with a pained expression, unsure what to say. "The only person who I could ever talk to about this is Ero-sennin, and he's gone on whatever dumb mission you sent him on!"

Naruto stood up and exited the room intently, leaving Tsunade caught in a troubled thought.


	3. Chapter 3

*Note: I owe anyone reading this a HUGE apology! I know I kind of abandoned you mid-story, but I've been distracted from writing for a long time. Here's the next chapter, at long last, and I'll wait for reviews to see if anyone is interested in the continuation. I have other projects I want to start on including a Doctor Who/Harry Potter story that I've already posted the first chapter to (SPONSOR!), but if people still want me to finish this I definitely will. I have it mapped out for the most part anyway.

The rest of that day after leaving Tsunade's office seemed to go so fast. It wasn't long before he found himself right back in her office again, and he couldn't believe what he was hearing. They told him Jiraiya was dead, that he had been killed in action. That couldn't be true. Ero-sennin was one of the strongest shinobi in the village, the world even, how could he be killed by some unknown ninja? To make it worse, his killer was from the Akatsuki. Naruto had stormed out of Tsunade's office for the second time that day, furious at her for sending Ero-sennin to his death. It was her fault! She should have known better.

Naruto found himself sitting alone in the village on the same bench where he and Ino talked around a week ago. His head was swimming with thoughts, and at the same time it was kind of blank. It's like he was thinking about nothing and everything all at once, and he just wanted all of his thoughts to shut up. He wanted everything and everyone to shut up. Not even a moment of silence could be spared for Ero-sennin, one of the greatest people Naruto had ever known. He was gone and the rest of the world didn't even seem to notice. It didn't seem fair.

"Naruto..." a soft approached him.

He knew who it was immediately. Naruto wanted to tell her to go, but he couldn't make himself talk.

Ino sat down next to him, like she had a week ago on that night. Out of the corner of his eye he could see her looking towards him, trying to draw his eyes but he couldn't turn his head.

"Naruto," she repeated, "Sakura told me what happened, I... I don't know what to say."

Of course not. Nobody could say anything.

"But, I know you're probably hurting, and-"

All at once he exploded. "Of course I'm hurting!" he roared. "Ero-sennin, my teacher, is dead! And all because Tsunade baa-chan sent him off alone! I should have gone with him! Or Kakashi-sensei, or anyone! She let him go ALONE and he's dead!" Naruto stood up in a fit and stormed off. He didn't feel much like talking right now. He didn't feel like doing anything but killing the bastard that took Ero-sennin away from him. It was bad enough that they were after him, and that they almost killed Gaara, but now they've taken away Ero-sennin! If they weren't going down before, they were now.

The rest of the night Naruto sulked. Iruka-sensei and Shikamaru had come to him to comfort him, and he didn't lash out at them like he had at Ino. After talking to Shikamaru he felt horrible. He realized that Shikamaru and Ino had lost their sensei not long before. Ino probably knew how he felt and he pushed her away. He felt like an idiot.

Naruto found Ino sitting by the river that flowed through the village, her bare feet dipped in the stream.

"Ino," he said, startling her a bit, "I owe you an apology." She looked up at him and said nothing, clearly unsure what she should say. "I shouldn't have lashed out like that... I just... Ero-sennin meant a lot to me, y'know? I realize what it must've been like losing Asuma-sensei. I'm sorry."

Ino stood up and smiled faintly. She put her arms around him and hugged him. It was a friendly hug though, much different from the embrace he'd come to expect from her. "I know. When you lose a mentor, it's hard to take. Nothing can really prepare you for that kind of thing. I understand, you were just frustrated," she said, kissing his cheek softly. After she pulled away, Naruto noticed a troubled look on her face, like she had something to say. "Naruto, maybe this isn't the best time, but I..." she bit her lip and stared blankly like she was searching for the right words. "I've come to rely on our... relationship lately, a lot more than I thought I would... I think, maybe we could-"

"I'm leaving the village," Naruto cut her off. When he saw the terror on her face, he quickly added, "Just for a little while, to train. I'm gonna learn some wicked jutsu from some old toad sages. I have to get stronger, to beat the Akatsuki, y'know? If even Ero-sennin was killed by these guys, they're really strong. I have to become stronger than him."

Ino nodded, but he could see she took this as rejection. It wasn't though... not exactly. Naruto wasn't sure how he felt about her, so he wasn't rejecting her... but he needed time.

"I'll be back. Then we can talk about this stuff, alright?"

"Alright," Ino agreed half-heartedly, "that sounds good."

But when he returned, he had bigger problems to face.

**Yeah, the chapter's a bit short again, sorry. I just wanted to get this out here so you guys can know I haven't abandoned this story and so I can get some feedback on whether or not to continue. Again, I'm sorry it's been so long.


	4. Chapter 4

Naruto's fight with Pain, and the training leading up to it was a harrowing experience. It changed him a little bit, in all honesty. Now he understood hatred and he understood what Ero-sennin entrusted to him. There would be a long path ahead of him, one that he had to walk to the end, but before that he promised Ino they would talk.

The village was in shambles after Pain's attack. The restoration process had begun immediately, but there was no doubt it would take a while. Yamato-taichou's abilities certainly came in handy though! Walking through the recovering village, Naruto could still feel some of the bitterness he felt when he lost Ero-sennin and the village. After a long walk, Naruto found himself at the place where Ino's home once stood. Reconstruction hadn't reached this far yet, having only just begun, but Ino and her father were standing before the wreckage, digging around for anything that had survived Pain's attack.

"Ino!" Naruto called out, waving when she turned to face him. "Can we talk?"

Ino looked at him for a moment and nodded, then looked back to her father and said something Naruto didn't catch before coming towards him.

"How's it going, Hero?" she asked with a grin.

"Um, okay, I guess." Naruto answered. He started to walk down the road and Ino came with him.

"Just okay?" she pressed, "You're the village's savior! Not long before the make you Hokage now, huh?"

Naruto didn't respond to that, because that's not what he wanted to talk about. What they needed to talk about.

"Ino," he began, not sure what to say, "this is just... really weird, y'know?"

The kunoichi nodded, but didn't say anything.

"I mean, you and I weren't exactly close before this. And now look at us." Naruto remembered when they were younger, back when they were rookies, when both he and Ino couldn't stand each other. Naruto was annoyed by the way she latched on to Sasuke like Sakura, and how Ino always acted superior. A lot of that was just him being defensive about Sakura. Ino, like everyone else, thought Naruto was an obnoxious, loud-mouthed brat. Since then, Naruto's relationship with all his peers had improved by leaps and bounds, but some of them he was never exceedingly close to, like Ino. Still, here they were now.

"It's weird, I know," Ino replied, "but it works, doesn't it? I mean, it might seem totally crazy, but I'm happy. Actually happy for the first time since Sasuke-kun left the village."

"Ino, this won't work."

Ino shook her head violently. "Come on!" she blurted. "Give it a chance! I know this started as a one time thing, but then it became regular. It's evolved since then, let it! Naruto, you're the first guy I've been happy around since Sasuke-kun-"

"See, that!" Naruto spat, "that's why it won't work!" Ino looked shocked by his hostile tone, but he didn't back down. "You still call him Sasuke-kun... just like Sakura-chan does. You're still stuck on him and I'm just something more convenient to keep your mind off him. It doesn't work like that, y'know? You love Sasuke, and I love Sakura-chan. Even if they don't feel the same, that's how we feel and this won't work!"

Ino stared at him for a long moment, her eyes furious and holding back tears. Frustrated tears? Naruto couldn't really tell, he wasn't good at that kind of thing. He couldn't read people very well at all... that was one of his greatest flaws.

Finally she lowered her head, and when she spoke her voice sounded vulnerable. It was a weird tone for Ino, but Naruto had heard it before. "Fine," she murmured, "if that's what you think, then fine. But don't expect me to keep putting out for you." She turned and ran down the street without another word or another glance.

Naruto felt horrible. But he knew it was true. Right now, as much as it hurt her, Ino had to know this wouldn't work. She was still stuck on Sasuke. Just like Sakura. "Maybe I'm just drawn to girls I can never have, y'know?" he grumbled to himself.

More like he was drawn to girls that liked Sasuke.

The young ninja found himself passing by the rebuilt Ichiraku ramen and thought about ducking in for a quick bite... but he didn't want to explain his situation to Teuchi, who would surely pick up on Naruto's mood.

"I had a feeling I'd find you here."

Naruto looked up to see Shikamaru standing atop Ichiraku with his hands tucked inside his pockets, looking as disinterested as ever. He hopped down from the building and approached Naruto.

"Let's go somewhere more quiet," he suggested, "I need to talk to you."

The two of them ended up at Naruto's place. It was nothing like his old home, but it was only temporary while the village was rebuilding. It was small with bare necessities like a cot, a basic kitchen, and the only other room being a bathroom. Naruto sat down on his cot and Shikamaru sat in the floor across from him.

"I know what's happened between you and Ino," Shikamaru said frankly.

Naruto avoided his eyes. "So?" he replied, "It's not like it's any of your business, y'know."

"Ino is my teammate, and I consider you both to be two of my closest friends, so yeah, actually it is my business." Shikamaru told him. "I just saw her and she looked devastated. What did you do?"

Naruto shook his head, still avoiding Shikamaru's eyes. "It wasn't supposed to turn out like this," he said, sounding weak. "One night we were both feeling alone so we spent it together, and we ended up doing that a few more times, but it was only to avoid the loneliness. Now I think Ino has mistaken this for love or something, y'know, and it wasn't supposed to be like that." Naruto found it hard to explain. His eyes were locked on the ground, but he went on, "I know she still has feelings for Sasuke, like Sakura does. But she's gotten caught up in the moment and thinks she loves me. After a little while she'll see that I'm right."

"What if you're wrong?" Shikamaru asked him.

Naruto hesitated. "Then... then I'll have to break her heart, because I still love... Sakura-chan."

Shikamaru sighed. "This is all too troublesome..." he grumbled. "This is why I'm focusing on being a ninja for now, I don't want the headache that comes with women."

Naruto tried to crack a smile, but it felt wrong.

"You have to talk to her again," Shikamaru said, "and you have to let her know exactly how you feel."

"I already did, and look how that turned out."

"Right, but this time you need to have an actual conversation, not one that ends up in her running away. She needs to understand it. You both do."

Naruto nodded. "You're right." he conceded.

"Good," Shikamaru said, "I'm out then. If you need to talk, Naruto, I'm still your friend."

With that Shikamaru stood and walked out of the apartment. Naruto sat on his cot for a long time, staring at the ground. It wasn't supposed to be like this.


End file.
